San Diego Marks National HIV Testing Day

Public health officials say National HIV Testing Day serves as a reminder for everyone to get tested for the virus.

SAN DIEGO  As the nation marked National HIV Testing Day, San Diegans were offered free tests at a drug store in North Park. It's part of an ongoing effort to make HIV testing more widespread.

Kenny Goldberg

The project called Lead the Way offered free testing to mark National HIV Testing Day.

The project called Lead the Way has tried to get as many people tested for HIV as possible in two mid-city zip codes. It offers tests at a storefront in Hillcrest, and has sent crews out door-to-door offering rapid HIV tests on the spot.

Project manager David Rodriguez said since the effort started in 2011, they've tested 1,700 people. But he said interest seems to be waning.

"There's kind of this feeling around the community that HIV is getting better, that not as many people are getting infected, that it's kind of over, there's new medication, 'I don't need to worry about it as much.' And that's not really true," Rodriguez said.

According to statistics I've read recently, San Diego County has the second-highest incidence of HIV of all the counties in the state. The Lead the Way project sounds like a great idea, but fewer than 2000 tests in two years probably doesn't keep up with new cases. The advent of new treatments has lulled the people into a false sense of security which is going to come around bite us. I had heard nothing about HIV Testing Day until I read this, it should have been announced and promoted vigorously for a month.